Pom Poko Merge Complicated Guitars and Catchy Hooks
Pom Poko have figured out how to combine complex math rock with big pop hooks, but their willingness to stretch beyond these styles makes Champion intriguing.
math rock
Personal Trainer Will Make You Fall in Love with Indie Pop
Personal Trainer’s adoration for slick, artful pop music is evident in every note and bristles with inspiration and crackles with enthusiasm the entire time.
Steve Albini’s Black Swan Song: Shellac’s ‘To All Trains’
Shellac’s To All Trains is as compelling as anything they ever produced and a swan song. In Steve Albini’s case, the swan must surely be big, angry, and black.
Shudder to Think Look Back on 1994’s ‘Pony Express Record’
Shudder to Think’s Pony Express Record is one of the most enduring releases of the 1990s, evergreen for the very reasons it wasn’t a massive hit upon release.
Pure Bliss on Mall Girl’s Striking New Album ‘Pure Love’
Mall Girl are in a category of their own. The art-pop trio possess so much potential, and Pure Love is one of the most exciting releases of the new year.
Botch’s Mathcore Masterpiece ‘We Are the Romans’ Remains Reflective of Millennial Groupthink
This reissue of a groundbreaking, out-of-print album, Botch’s We Are the Romans holds the emotions of its time, the musical incarnation of millennial anxiety.
Ron Anderson Releases Demos Foreshadowing His 2011 Masterwork ‘Secret Curve’
Ron Anderson’s The Ashfield Session features early takes of the Secret Curve material from Anderson’s famed PAK trio. This thing will blow your mind.
Black Midi Continue Their March Into Madness with Excellent ‘Hellfire’
With their third LP Hellfire, Black Midi continue to put out adventurous and challenging music that keeps listeners on the tips of their toes.
Mall Girl’s ‘Superstar’ Successfully Blends Math-rock with Pop Sensibilities
Norway’s Mall Girl combine powerful math rock with alt-pop dreaminess on their debut album Superstar, where languid melodies reside with fast tempos and technical playing.
Alt-Rocker Justin Mayfield Gives Traditional Armenian Folk Music the Hipster Treatment
Alt-rocker Justin Mayfield talks about Ghedtair Composite, a hypnotic blend of Armenian folk standards mixed with a math-rock meets indie-folk hybrid.
Black Midi Avoid the Sophomore Slump on ‘Cavalcade’
Black Midi’s Cavalcade is a great LP, and though not a fully brilliant or complete masterwork, it will leave many others imitating these guys sucking wake.
Black Midi’s ‘Cavalcade’ Is Spellbinding and Circuitous
Black Midi’s Cavalcade displays superlative skills, fierce chemistry, and avant-garde vision, offering spellbinding performances while also falling prey to sonic tautologies and circuitousness.